The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Sweden's Institute for Space Physics, IRF, in Uppsala contributed to Cassini's Langmuir probe, described as a weather station for space weather. The Langmuir probe is positively charged therefore attracts the negatively charged electrons in the electrically charged gas, or plasma as it is knowm, prevailing in the surrounding space space. By measuring the current that the charged particles give rise to, the researchers calculate the electron density in space. Using intricate methods, they can also measure the individual speed of the electrons - their temperature, and sometimes also the flow rate of the plasma.